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Type 90 MBT
The Type 90 main battle tank (MBT) was the first new tank to be built in China after the creation of the Chinese Central Government in 1999 although the original plans for the type were drawn up just prior to the fall of the People's Republic of China in 1991. Development Although at first glance it appears a new and modern tank it is in fact a development of the Type 80 MBT which itself is a development of the 1950s era Type 59 MBT. The design of the tank was finalised in 1990 and production of a prototype began shortly after however it was destroyed before nearing completion when the No.617 Factory was destroyed by a Soviet nuclear missile. The plans survived the '91 Disaster being locked in a military vault near Xining. When the Central Government took power they needed tanks urgently to drive off the warlords that had savaged the Chinese countryside in the aftermath of the fall of the PRC. The new factories established in 2000 initially churned out new build Type 80 MBTs but this did not satisfy the new Chinese leadership. A number of Type 80s were in the hands of warlords these having been acquired after the collapse of the People's Liberation Army and the new government wanted a tank that would tip the balance in their favor. The plans for the Type 90 were uncovered and orders to build the first examples were sent out. Design The Type 90 shares a large number of common parts with the Type 80. The hull remains almost unchanged with the driver positioned to the front and to the left of the main gun and the power pack positioned at the rear. The turret is reshaped from the traditional clam shell shape of the earlier tank for greater ballistic protection. Originally the tank was to have composite armour but this was impractical for the Central Government's manufacturing base in 2000 so traditional steel was used. The turret housed a 125mm smoothbore gun that is a direct copy of the Soviet 125mm gun fitted to the T-72 MBT. This includes the autoloader which means that the turret has a crew of only two (commander/gunner). Secondary armament consists of co-axial 7.62mm machine gun and a 12.7mm anti-aircraft gun on the turret roof. Power comes from 1200hp diesel engine. Operational History There was very little time to conduct proper testing. By 1999 the Chinese Central Government was heavily involved in the War of Chinese Unification and the tanks were needed urgently to combat the warlords and so they were sent to frontline units almost as soon as they came off the assembly line. Production never reached pre-91 rates for Chinese tanks but around four a month was achieved in 2001. The rush to get them into service revealed severe quality issues with reliability being woefully short of what was expected and repairs in the field were commonplace. The Type 90 operated in small numbers alongside the older tanks inherited from the PRC as well as the new build Type 80s. Their baptism of fire was in a battle with warlord tanks near Yinchaun. Two Type 90s and seven Type 80s engaged a number of much older tanks being operated by two local warlords who had combined their forces. One Type 90 destroyed a Type 59 MBT and a Type 63 light tank before it was forced to withdraw as its turret mechanism malfunctioned and it could no longer rotate. Nevertheless the forces of the Chinese Central Government persisted and the increasing number of Type 90s being produced as time went on meant they remained at the forefront of the fight against warlordism. As combat experience filtered back to the factory modifications were made and gradually the tank became more reliable and thus more lethal. By the end of the fight against warlordism in 2009 the Type 90 was the most numerous tank in service but was no longer suited to the Central Government's requirements and they began a search for a replacement. Category:Tanks